SkinVive

Seven days before

• Stop over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. Ibuprofen, naproxen, fish oil, vitamin E and flaxseed oil all increase bruising.
• Stop alcohol. It dilates blood vessels and increases both bruising and swelling.
• Do not stop prescribed blood thinners or anticoagulants such as aspirin taken for cardiac reasons, apixaban, rivaroxaban, warfarin or clopidogrel. Speak to the doctor who prescribed them. Contact us and we will plan around them.

Two weeks before

• No dental work. Dental procedures can introduce bacteria into the bloodstream and raise infection risk. Schedule dental work well before or well after.
• No waxing, threading or laser hair removal on the area.
• No chemical peels, microneedling or resurfacing on the area.

Tell us before your appointment

• Any allergy to lidocaine. The gel contains it.
• Your previous injectable history: what product, where, when, and anything that did not go as expected.
• Any autoimmune or connective tissue condition, and any history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This is not given during either.

The day itself

• Arrive with a clean face and neck, no makeup on the area.
• Eat something beforehand.
• Allow time for numbing before the injections start.

• Small raised points at each injection site are expected. They settle over a day or two as the gel disperses.
• Redness, mild swelling and tenderness are normal. Bruising can appear and usually fades within a week.
• Do not rub, press or massage the area.
• Ice gently if it helps, wrapped in a cloth, never directly on the skin.
• Avoid heat: hot showers, saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga.
• No alcohol, no strenuous exercise, no makeup on the area.
• For the neck, avoid anything tight against it, including high collars and scarves.

Days 2 to 7

• The injection points flatten and any bruising fades, sometimes darkening before it does.
• Makeup is fine once the skin is unbroken, usually after the first day.
• Gentle skincare only. No retinoids, acids or other actives on the area for 48 hours.
• No facials, peels, microneedling or laser on the area for two weeks.
• Sunscreen daily. Recently treated skin marks more easily.

Day 14 onwards

• Actives can resume from day seven.
• Change in smoothness and hydration is usually visible by now and continues to settle.
• The result is assessed at one month, not in the first fortnight.